Show ContentsCornwall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Among the earliest people to bear the Cornwall name were the Cornwall family, who lived in the county of Cornwall in southwest England.

Early Origins of the Cornwall family

The surname Cornwall was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Cornwall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornwall research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1513, 1601 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Cornwall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornwall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cornwall, Cornelle, Cornell, Cornwell, Cornewall, Cornal, Cornale, Cornevale, Carnwell, Carnewell, Carnville, Carnevale, Cornhall, Cornehall, Cornhale, Cornwale, Curnow (from native Cornish word) and many more.

Early Notables of the Cornwall family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Cornwall Ranking

In the United States, the name Cornwall is the 14,365th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Cornwall family to Ireland

Some of the Cornwall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cornwall migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cornwall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Pastrow Cornwall, who landed in Virginia in 1654 2
  • Ann Cornwall, who landed in Maryland in 1673 2
  • John Hogben Cornwall, who landed in Maryland in 1674 2
  • Martha Cornwall, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 2
Cornwall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Cornwall, who settled in Maine in 1718
  • Thomas Cornwall, who settled in Georgia in 1733
  • Daniel Cornwall, who arrived in New York in 1795 2
Cornwall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas R Cornwall, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
  • Hannah Cornwall, who arrived in America in 1830 2
  • James Cornwall, who arrived in New York in 1835 2
  • J I Cornwall, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • N Cornwall, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Cornwall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cornwall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Cornwall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Martin Cornwall, who arrived in Canada in 1830
  • Thomas Cornwall, who landed in Canada in 1830

Australia Cornwall migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cornwall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Mary Janes Cornwall, (b. 1814), aged 23, Irish needle woman who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Daniell Cornwall, (b. 1816), aged 22, Cornish farm overseer travelling aboard the ship "James Pattison" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 11th December 1838 5
  • Stephen Cornwall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
  • Mary Cornwall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
  • Thomas Cornwall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Cornwall migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cornwall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Cornwall, (b. 1840), aged 21, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 7
  • Mrs. Cornwall, British settler travelling from Gravesend with 3 children aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th October 1868 8
  • John Cornwall, aged 23, a carpenter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8
  • Hannah Cornwall, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Cornwall (post 1700) +

  • General Sir J Cornwall, Bishop of Winchester
  • Charles Wolfran Cornwall (1735-1789), Speaker of the House of Commons, grandson of Charles Cornewall, and only son of Jacobs Cornwall of Berrington, Herefordshire 9
  • Luke Cornwall (b. 1980), English-born, Australian footballer
  • Travis Cornwall (b. 1990), Canadian professional indoor lacrosse player, brother to Jeff Cornwall
  • Jeff Cornwall (b. 1991), Canadian lacrosse player for the Edmonton Rush
  • David John Moore Cornwall (b. 1931), birth name of John Le Carré, the English author of espionage novels
  • Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. (1910-1999), first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
  • Francis Cornwall Sherman (1805-1870), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, 1841-42, 1862-65;Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention from Cook County, 1847; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 1st District, 1862
  • Cornwall H. Loomis, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Calcutta, 1922

SS Atlantic
  • Mr. Steven Cornwall, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SOMERSETSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Somersetshire.htm
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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